Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1990, published 77th ILC session (1990)

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Japan (Ratification: 1986)

The Committee has noted with interest the Government's first report for the period ending 30 June 1988. It also notes the Sixth Basic Employment Measures Plan (BEM Plan) formulated in June 1988, as well as a variety of legislation providing for measures related to employment policy, such as the law respecting special measures for employment security of workers in specified depressed industries (No. 39 of 1983), the Area Employment Development Promotion Law (No. 23 of 1987), and the law respecting temporary measures for smoother structural adjustment of industries (No. 24 of 1987). The Committee notes in particular that employment policy as a whole is promoted with the target, enshrined in the legislation, of "achieving full employment" and that efforts are made to ensure close co-ordination between employment policy objectives and other economic and social objectives, based on the judgement that these objectives are closely and inseparably related to each other. The data supplied by the Government or contained in the OECD reports show that a high rate of increase of the GDP in 1987-88 was accompanied by an increase in employment (by 1.0 per cent and 1.7 per cent in 1987 and 1988) mainly due to part-time employment, while the unemployment rate remained during the period at a relatively low level by international standards (2.8 per cent in 1986-87) and even slightly declined in 1988 to 2.5 per cent, whch happens to be the same as the target for 1992 set by the current BEM Plan.

The Government describes in its report the "Employment Development Projects for Depressed Industries and Regions and Older People" (implemented in fiscal 1988) as employment measures to cope with the transformation of the economic structure into a domestic demand-led one. The Committee would be grateful if the Government, which expresses its fears that structural employment problems will be aggravated, would continue providing information on such selective measures, especially on the practical application of the above-mentioned laws, including statistical data. It hopes that such information would cover not only the measures taken by the Ministry of Labour but also by other ministries and agencies concerned, and both the measures to assist employers and other forms of measures.

Noting that the Sixth Basic Employment Measures Plan places the issues of "Internationalisation" of the economy and foreign workers among the basic items of employment measures, the Committee asks the Government to include in its future reports information in this respect.

The Committee notes from the statistics included in the Government's report that unemployment rates are particularly higher than the rate for all ages (2.5 per cent in July 1988) in two age groups, namely the youngest one (4.5 per cent in 15-24 age group) and the oldest one (2.7 per cent in over 55, especially 4.7 per cent in 60-64).

As to the aged people, the report also includes the ratio of job offers to jobseekers at employment offices which is extremely low, and which demonstrates the labour market conditions difficult for them. The Committee takes note of the Government's indication of measures taken under the Law concerning the employment security of aged persons (No. 68 of 1971), and hopes that the Government will continue providing information on measures taken or envisaged for aged people. On the other hand, the ratio of job offers to jobseekers in the young age groups are not lower than the ratio for all ages. The Government remarks that the labour market for young persons, in particular for fresh school graduates, is characterised by a large excess of demand over supply. The Committee hopes that the Government's next report will include further information on young persons in the labour market with special reference to the backgrounds of the high unemployment rate in spite of the labour demand, and on the measures taken or envisaged regarding young persons.

The Committee also notes that the Sixth Basic Employment Measures Plan includes the measures for part-time workers in Part III, Chapter 4 on "Measures in response to the increase of women workers, etc". The Committee asks the Government to supply in its next report information on measures taken with a view to ensuring freedom of choice of employment and equal opportunity, irrespective of sex, both in part-time and in full-time employment (Article 1(2)(c) of the Convention).

Regarding women workers, the Government describes measures taken under sections 22, 23 and 24 of the "Equal Employment Opportunity Law" (No. 113 of 1972) such as provision of vocational guidance and promotion of vocational training. Noting that other general employment measures described in the Government's report often take the form of assistance to the positive efforts made by employers, the Committee requests the Government to include in its future reports information on the practical application of Chapter II, Part I of the Equal Employment Opportunity Law, in particular of sections 7 and 8 which call for efforts of employers to give women equal opportunity or treatment with men in recruitment or assignment, etc.

Finally, the Committee would be grateful if the Government would supply further details on the scope and results of the consultations, whether formal or informal, held with the representatives of the various persons affected by the measures to be taken, as defined by Article 3, i.e. representatives of employers' and workers' organisations and of other sectors of the economically active population.